GZERO World Clips
Why is America punching below its weight on happiness?
Why is America punching below its weight on happiness? | Steven Pinker | GZERO World
September 27, 2023
It's a good time to be alive in America. The wealthiest nation on earth, though, is full of unhappy people, Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker points out on GZERO World with Ian Bremmer.
"The United States is the anomaly because it's rich. It's more or less democratic, but it has lower life expectancy. It has poor scores on math tests, has more obesity, more drug addiction, more violence," Pinker tells Ian Bremmer. So you'd think Americans would be fat and happy, but it turns out they are fat and unhappy.
Compared to its wealthy counterparts, the United States punches well below its weight in terms of happiness and quality of life given its wealth. Pinker offers many reasons for that anomaly, seen through the lens of his approach to measuring the state of human progress.
Watch the GZERO World episode: Is life better than ever for the human race?
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld and on US public television. Check local listings.
From Your Site Articles
- US economy’s slowing growth ›
- One year after Dobbs, US abortion rights have gotten even more politically explosive ›
- Counter narrative: Black Americans, the 1619 Project, and Nikole Hannah-Jones ›
- Inside the Harvard-Trump showdown - GZERO Media ›
- Yuval Noah Harari on protecting the right to be stupid - GZERO Media ›
- Steven Pinker shares his "relentless optimism" about human progress - GZERO Media ›
More For You
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with President of the European Council António Luís Santos da Costa, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi, India, on Jan. 27, 2026.
DPR PMO/ANI Photo
On Tuesday, the world’s largest single market and the world’s most populous country cinched a deal that will slash or reduce tariffs on the vast majority of the products they trade.
Most Popular
Sponsored posts
Five forces that shaped 2025
What's Good Wednesdays
What’s Good Wednesdays™, January 28, 2026
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stands alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump during the 2026 World Cup draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on December 5, 2025.
Deccio Serrano/NurPhoto
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has repeatedly tussled with US President Donald Trump, whereas Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has tried to placate him. The discrepancy raises questions about the best way to approach the US leader.
Fighters of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, attend a rally marking the 35th anniversary of the group's foundation in Gaza City on December 14, 2022.
Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto
10,000: The number of Hamas officers that the militant group reportedly wants to incorporate into the US-backed Palestinian administration for Gaza, in the form of a police force.
Walmart is investing $350 billion in US manufacturing. Over two-thirds of the products Walmart buys are made, grown, or assembled in America, like healthy dried fruit from The Ugly Co. The sustainable fruit is sourced directly from fourth-generation farmers in Farmersville, California, and delivered to your neighborhood Walmart shelves. Discover how Walmart's investment is supporting communities and fueling jobs across the nation.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.